About
IRL Glasses - Glasses that Block Screens
$140,920
2,030
Not too long ago, phones were attached to the wall, TVs weighed as much as refrigerators and computers rivaled minivans in size. Then everything changed. The world has seen an explosion of screens all vying for our attention (Americans spend 11 hours a day looking at screens, NY Times 2018), making it harder and harder to have uninterrupted experiences and genuine human connections.
IRL Glasses put you in the driver's seat to control when and how you engage with screens.
The design for IRL Glasses is unique and iconic, inspired by the 1988 cult classic film, 'THEY LIVE,' where a magical pair of glasses blocks ads. The glasses are all black, with the IRL logo printed in white on the sides of the glasses.
The polarization is TAC 1.1, Cat 3, UV 400, meaning IRL Glasses don't just block screens, they work as a normal pair of UV-blocking sunglasses.
We spent a year researching, prototyping, and focus grouping IRL Glasses. Here are some of the previous prototypes:
IRL Glasses block LCD/LED screens through horizontal polarized optics (we found out about this after coming across a 2017 WIRED article).
By flattening and rotating the polarized lens 90 degrees, light emitted by LCD/LED screens is blocked, making it look like the TV or computer in front of you is off.
IRL Glasses are in beta. This means they are compatible with most TVs (LCD/LED) and some computers (LCD/LED). IRL glasses do not yet block smartphones or digital billboards (OLED).
*Note: the glasses are not intended to be worn while driving and are not designed for medical use.
We have a basic glasses case ready to go, HOWEVER our bespoke lenticular design (below) will be added upon hitting our stretch goal of 1,000 orders.
We've already received final product samples of the glasses from our manufacturer, and aim to ship the glasses to backers by April 2019.
We're launching IRL Glasses via Kickstarter to validate the market and expand our community. We hope the success of this campaign attracts private investors, allowing us to raise significant capital and pursue R&D to work with industry-leading talent (we've already spoken to optics engineers at Waymo, Nasa, and Snap), to develop an advanced pair of IRL Glasses that block all screens, including smartphones.
This is a mission we are dedicated to - IRL Glasses are the latest project in founder Ivan Cash's body of work that has been exploring the intersection of technology and human connection for the past decade.
Ivan's previous projects include:
A massive thanks to the entire IRL team who have put in blood, sweat, and tears to help build IRL, create the glasses, and spread the message far and wide.
Oh yea, we're on the socials (c'est la vie)... follow us and help spread the IRL message.
Risks and challenges
This is our first time creating a physical product to be manufactured overseas and so despite having gone through five rounds of sample orders with our manufacturer, and bringing on a Mandarin-speaking project manager, there is always the possibility something gets lost in translation.
Furthermore,
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Funding period
- (30 days)